"I had a two-hour practice, then they told me, ‘Now you practice with Rafa on clay": Miami success story Martin Landaluce recalls Nadal practice at 14 years old

Teenage sensation Martín Landaluce continued his remarkable run at the Miami Open, defeating Sebastian Korda in three sets to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

The Spaniard, who came through two rounds of qualifying just to enter the main draw, has now beaten a string of high-level opponents, including Thiago Agustín Tirante, Marcos Giron, Luciano Darderi, Karen Khachanov and Korda, to become the first player born in 2006 to reach a Masters 1000 quarter-final.

“It’s feeling great, unbelievable,” Landaluce said on Tennis Channel. “I knew today was a very tough match. I saw him playing before and Korda was playing unbelievable.

“Today he was playing better than me. He was serving incredible, returning pretty well, and I knew I had to go for it in the important moments. I was fighting the whole match and at 6-5, I went for it and maintained that the whole match. So I’m very happy to be in the next round.”

One of the defining moments of the match came in the second-set tiebreak, where Landaluce saved match point with fearless aggression.

“I was thinking to be aggressive, to go for the point, and it went really good,” he explained. “Then I went to the net. I went full all-in, and I think it’s the best way to save a match point.”

That mindset proved crucial as the 19-year-old turned the tide and forced a deciding set.

Landaluce carried that momentum into the third set, using both his energy and the crowd to push him over the line.

“It was tough. I think I had pretty good energy from the beginning of the match,” he said. “I was trying to move well, be aggressive.

“In the third set, I went with the crowd, shouting, creating that energy. I got the first break of the match and I was playing well, but he did a really good job. I knew he was going to do great things.

“I kept going, and in the last game I was really solid.”

Coming into Miami, Landaluce had never beaten a top-50 player. Now, he has multiple wins over that level in the space of a single week.

“I think I’ve been working pretty hard these past months and years,” he said. “The key was to connect all the things I was improving.

“I knew I could play well here, and I love big stadiums. I love playing with a lot of people. So I just connected everything and went for it against these guys.”

He also outlined the specific areas of his game that have come together during this breakthrough run.

“Fitness, above all. I think I’m defending well, counterattacking, playing aggressive, taking forehands, going down the line, serving pretty well.

“And also coming to the net, making passing shots, some drop shots. In the important moments, I’m going for the matches, that’s the most important thing.”

Landaluce has also benefited from time spent training at the Rafa Nadal Academy, where he has had the opportunity to work with Rafael Nadal. “The first time I hit with Rafa, I was 14,” he recalled. “I had a two-hour practice, then they told me, ‘Now you practice with Rafa on clay.’

“It was such an emotional moment. I was pretty nervous at the beginning, but he was nice with me and we had a really good practice.”

Since then, the pair have shared further sessions, including Landaluce’s first experience on grass. “My first practice on grass was with him. He gave me some tips to do better. Practising at his academy, the values they have there, the players, it’s really nice. I think I’ve taken a lot from him and from the academy.”

The young Spaniard also revealed that he still receives advice from Nadal, including a recent conversation at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah.

“We spoke there and he told me some things to improve. I took that very deeply and tried to improve it. I think those improvements came thanks to that conversation, so I’m very grateful to him.”

Landaluce’s reward for his incredible run is a quarter-final clash with Jiří Lehečka, with the Spaniard now on the verge of breaking into the world’s top 100. Regardless of what happens next, his performances in Miami have already marked him out as one of the sport’s most exciting rising talents, proof that his fearless, all-in mentality can deliver on the biggest stages.